Combined trailer and pontoon boat



K- BUSHFIELD COMBINED TRAILER AND PONTOON BOAT March 4, 1952 Filed July18 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l 4 z Q Q m k P?) w mm I:.ll--.L ihiw iiliili Q tI.\ H 3 \P x Q mm mm mn ww t Wm WM 15 m Sm Affy

March 4, 1952 K. BUSHFIELD COMBINED TRAILER AND PONTOON BOAT 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 18, 1950 INVENTOR. Ke/fh Bus/7 f//d A March 4,1952 K. BUSHFIELQ/ COMBINED TRAILER'AND PdNTOON BOAT 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IFiled July 18, 1950 T ETE INVENTOR. Kai/h Bush/729M Patented Mar. 4,1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,588,084 COMBINED TRAILER AND PONTOONBOAT Keith Bushfield, San Francisco, Calif. Application July 18, 1950,Serial No. 174,425

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a combined trailer and pontoon boat.

The principal object of this invention is to produce a readilytransportable trailer arrangement which may be quickly hauled over thehighways and other suitable terrain and then quickly launched into thewater to form a floating structure upon which the towing vehicle, orsupplies, may be readily transported over the water.

A further object is to provide a vehicle of this character which willoccupy a minimum amount of road space and yet, when in the water, willhave a greater width, so as to give the floating structure a great dealof lateral stability.

A further object is to provide means for effectively propelling thepontoon boat, to steer the same, and to maintain it in loading position.

A further object is to provide a means whereby the pontoon boat may bemaintained in rolling contact with a larger vessel in such a manner ethat it will rise and fall with the wave action without injury to thepontoons.

. Other object and advantages will be apparent during the course of thefollowing description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame,

Fig 1 is a side elevation of my pontoon boat, showing the pontoonsfolded upon the transporting structure;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation similar to Figure 1, showing the pontoons inopen position as the same would appear in use in the water;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of Fig. 1, looking from the left of thedrawings;

v Fig. 5 is an end elevation of Fig. 2, looking from the left of thedrawing;

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line B-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional viewtaken on the line 1-l of Fig. 3;

Fig. '8 is a view similar to Fig. '7, showing the pontoons in foldedposition;

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a similar view, showing the pontoons in closed position;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view showing the manner inwhich the locking eye beams are moved;

' Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view taken on the line l2 l2 of Fig. 11';

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the pontoon boat as the same would appearwhen transporting a vehicle over a body of water;

Fig. 14 is a similar view, showing the vehicle being landed from thepontoon boat;

Fig. 15 is a similar view, showing the manner in which the pontoon boatis beached;

Fig. 16 shows the manner in which the beached pontoon boat may betransported; I

Fig; 17 illustrates the manner in which several pontoon boats may beused to form a pontoon bridge; and e 1 Fig. 18 illustrates the manner inwhich the pontoon boat may be employed as a lighter for transportingsupplies to and from a larger vessel.

vehicles are particularly adaptable to military quire considerable time.equipment and consequent delay.

Applicant has therefore devised a trailer arrangement which iscomparatively light in structure, yet one whichmay be easily trailedbehind a light vehicle, such as a jeep, yet a structure which willsupport a relatively large load.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration isshown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5, referringparticularly to Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, desig-' nates a platform which hasattached thereto spaced, foldable wheels 6 which may be folded from thefull-line position of Fig. 4 to the dottedline position of Fig. l, orthe full-line position of Fig. 5.

The forward end ,of the platform is supported by a pivoted dolly 1,having ground-engaging wheel 8. Thi dolly is removable when the .boat isin the water.

Pivoted to the platform 5 and along each longitudinal margin thereof,are pontoons 9 and H, pivots-being shown in [2 and I3 (see Fig. "8).

Each of these pontoons has bunk space as shown 3 in II. This space,however, many be used for other purposes if desired.

Pivoted to the forward end of the platform is a ramp IS, the purpose ofwhich will be later seen.

An outboard motor is shown at H, through the medium of which the boatmay be propelled through the water.

In order to lock the pontoons in open position (that is, the positionshown in Fig. 5) I provide a series of sliding eye beams l8 and I9 whichare enclosed in slide-ways 22 formed in the platform, and are actuatedthrough the medium of racks secured to one side of each of the bottomflanges of the eye beams l8 and I9.

Referring to Fig. 11, it will be noted that. the rack is shown at 23 andis engaged by a gear 24, which gear is, in turn, rotated through themedium of a lever 26 and a ratchet 21, actuated by a hand lever 28.

In order to maintain the ramp l6 either of the positions shown in Fig. 1or Fig. 3, I employ sliding pins 29 and 3|, which have their inner endsmounted within an opening 32 in the ramp, whereby they may be 'pushed orpulled in one direction or the other through the use of an ace tuatingpin or any other suitable instrument.

The pontoons 9 and Il each carry an ear as shown at 33 and 34respectively, which ears form supporting means for the ramp, as will behereinafter described.

Rotatably mounted at the rear end of each of the pontoons 9 and II aretired wheels 36 and 31 respectively, the purposes of which will be laterseen.

The result of this construction that, assuming that the parts arearranged as shown in Fig. 1, and dolly I has been placed beneath theforward end of the platform, then it is only necessary to connect atractor, such as a jeep, to the dolly, after which the pontoon boat maybe trailed behind the jeep to any desired place.

Now, assuming that it is desired to cross a body of water, the userretracts thepi s 29 and 3| so as to withdraw the ends thereof from cars33 and 34, which will permit the ramp 16 to drop down against the tongueof the dolly; the pontoons 9 and l I may now be swung on their pivots l2and [3 into the position shown in Figs. 2 3' and 5, after which they arelocked in this position; that is, with their tops in parallel align:ment with the top of the platform by ai t latin'g the levers 26 in sucha manner that the gears 24 rack out the eye beams from their position inthe platform, into tunnels formed in the tops of the pontoons. Thesetunnels are shown at 38 (see Fig. 1).

The boat is now moved into the water as shown in Fig. 15, the wheels 6raised from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5,'themotor ll swung from position shown in Fig. 1 5 that shown in Fig. 2, andstarted.

This will hold the front of the boat against the shore or bank, and,after removing the dolly, the ramp IE will contact the ground so thatthe jeep or tractor may be driven up the ramp and on to the platform, asshown in Fig. 14.

The ramp is now raised and the pins 29 and 3| are re-engaged with theirears 33 and 34 The pontoons will now support the jeep and by reversingthe motor, the boat may move out from the shore and to any distant pointde sired.

Assuming that it is desired to move a considerable distance, the bunksl4 may beused by- :the I crew or occupants of the boat, or if it isdesired to use the pontoon boat as a lighter, as, for instance, inloading or unloading a larger ship, then the pontoon boat is backed stemto the side of the ship, as shown in Fig. 18, the motor reversed so asto hold the wheels 36 and 31' porting bridge structure whereby largevehicles or heavy traffic may be rapidly transported over a body ofwater, after which the pontoons may be quickly withdrawn and transportedfor use at another point.

It is understood that the form of my invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement ofparts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the enjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim:

1. A combined trailer and pontoon boat comprising a substantiallyrectangular p1atform, supporting wheel means pivoted to said platformfor retraction thereagainst, said platform having a generally fiat uppersuriace, a pontoon of greater length than the platform pivotallyattached to each of the opposite parallel margins of the platform, eachof said pontoons being of generally rectangular shape in cross sectionand having transversely extending channels therein, the pontoons when inoperative positions presenting the upper sides thereof in the plane ofthe platform and resting on said platform when in stored position, aramp hingedly connected to the forward end of the platform and extendingbetween the adjacent projecting ends of the pontoons when in operativeposition, ears carried by the forward ends of the pontoons andcooperating pins slidably mounted in said ramp for locking the pontoonsin operative or stored positions, and cooperating rack and gear meanscarried by the platform adapted upon operation of the gear to projectthe racks into the channels of said pontoons to support the pontoons inoperativepositions.

2. A combined trailer and pontoon boat comprising a substantiallyrectangular platform, supporting wheel means pivoted to said platformfor retraction thereagainst, said platform having a generally flat uppersurface, a pontoon of greater length than the platform pivotallyattached to each of the opposite parallel margins of the platform, eachof said pontoons being of generally rectangular shape in cross sectionand having transversely extending channels therein,

a the pontoons when in operative positions presenting the upper sidesthereof in the plane of the platform and resting on said platform whenin stored position, a ramp hingedly connected to the forward end of theplatform and extending between the adjacent projecting ends of thepontoons when in operative position, ears carried by the forward ends ofthe pontoons and cooperating pins slidably mounted in said ramp forlooking the pontoons in operative or stored positions. and cooperatingrack and gear means carried by the platform adapted upon operation ofthe gear to project the racks into the channels of said pontoons tosupport the pontoons in operative REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Tabulo Aug. 18, 1914 Number NumberNumber Name Date Cook Oct. 12, 1926 Todd Feb. 3, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTSCountry Date Great Britain 1889 Great Britain 1884 Great Britain 1900Gremany Feb. 16, 1900 Germany June 20, 1930

